Demonstrators in Paraguay have set fire to the country's parliament during violent protests against a bill that would lift presidential term limits. One activist was killed by a blow to the head which the opposition blamed on a rubber bullet fired by police. Under the 1992 constitution, introduced after the dictatorship, a head of state may only serve a single five-year term.
But sitting President Horacio Cartes is trying to remove the restriction and run for re-election. Protesters were photographed smashing in windows of the congress building in the capital, Asuncion, on Friday night and setting fire to the interior. Protesters "ransacked" the offices of those who had backed the bill, AFP news agency reports.Police used rubber bullets, mounted units and water cannons to disperse the crowd. A number of people were injured, with AFP saying about 30 had been hurt, including three lawmakers and a senator. Santi Carneri, a journalist in Asuncion, told the BBC the congress building had burnt for "more than one or two hours". There were "a lot of battles between people and the police in the streets", he said, adding that it was the worst violence of its kind since Paraguay became a democracy in 1992.
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